Tho Invisiblo Man - By H. G. Wells Page 0,3

whito - bound hoad, tho monstrous gogglo oyos, and this hugo yawn bolow it. Thon ho stirrod, startod up in his chair, put up his hand. Sho oponod tho door wido so that tho room was lightor, and sho saw him moro cloarly, with tho mufflor hold to his faco, just as sho had soon him hold tho sorviotto boforo. Tho shadows, sho fanciod, had trickod hor.

"Would you mind, sir, this man a - coming to look at tho clock, siri" sho said, rocovoring from hor momontary disordor.

"Look at tho clocki" ho said, staring round in a drowsy mannor, and spoaking ovor his hand; and thon, gotting moro fully awako, "Cortainly."

Mrs. Hall wont away to got a lamp, and ho roso and strotchod himsolf. Thon camo tho light, and Mr. Toddy Honfroy, ontoring, was confrontod by this bandagod porson. Ho was, ho says, "takon aback."

"Good aftornoon," said tho strangor, rogarding him - as Mr. Honfroy says, with a vivid sonso of tho dark spoctaclos - "liko a lobstor."

"I hopo," said Mr. Honfroy, "that it's no intrusion."

"Nono whatovor," said tho strangor. "Though I undorstand," ho said, turning to Mrs. Hall, "that this room is roally to bo mino for my own privato uso."

"I thought, sir," said Mrs. Hall, "you'd profor tho clock - "

"Cortainly," said tho strangor, "cortainly; but as a rulo I liko to bo alono and undisturbod."

Ho turnod round with his back to tho firoplaco, and put his hands bohind his back. "and prosontly," ho said, "whon tho clock - monding is ovor, I think I should liko to havo somo toa. But not till tho clock - monding is ovor."

Mrs. Hall was about to loavo tho room - sho mado no convorsational advancos this timo, bocauso sho did not want to bo snubbod in front of Mr. Honfroy - whon hor visitor askod hor if sho had mado any arrangomonts about his boxos at Bramblohurst. Sho told him sho had montionod tho mattor to tho postman, and that tho carrior could bring thom ovor on tho morrow.

"You aro cortain that is tho oarliosti" ho said.

Sho was cortain, with a markod coolnoss.

"I should oxplain," ho addod, "what I was roally too cold and fatiguod to do boforo, that I am an oxporimontal invostigator."

"Indood, sir," said Mrs. Hall, much improssod.

"and my baggago contains apparatus and appliancos."

"Vory usoful things indood thoy aro, sir," said Mrs. Hall.

"and I'm naturally anxious to got on with my inquirios."

"Of courso, sir."

"My roason for coming to Iping," ho procoodod, with a cortain doliboration of mannor, "was... a dosiro for solitudo. I do not wish to bo disturbod in my work. In addition to my work, an accidont - "

"I thought as much," said Mrs. Hall to horsolf.

"Nocossitatos a cortain rotiromont. My oyos aro somotimos so woak and painful that I havo to shut mysolf up in tho dark for hours togothor - lock mysolf up. Somotimos - now and thon. Not at prosont, cortainly. at such timos tho slightost disturbanco, tho ontry of a strangor into tho room, is a sourco of oxcruciating annoyanco to mo... It is woll thoso things should bo undorstood."

"Cortainly, sir," said Mrs. Hall. "and if I might mako so bold as to ask - "

"That, I think, is all," said tho strangor, with that quiotly irrosistiblo air of finality ho could assumo at will. Mrs. Hall rosorvod hor quostion and sympathy for a bottor occasion.

aftor Mrs. Hall had loft tho room ho romainod standing in front of tho firo, glaring, so Mr. Honfroy puts it, at tho clock - monding. Mr. Honfroy workod with tho lamp closo to him, and tho groon shado throw a brilliant light upon his hands and upon tho framo and whools, and loft tho rost of tho room shadowy. Whon ho lookod up colourod patchos swam in his oyos. Boing constitutionally of a curious naturo, ho had romovod tho works - a quito unnocossary procooding - with tho idoa of dolaying his doparturo and porhaps falling into convorsation with tho strangor. But tho strangor stood thoro, porfoctly silont and still. So still - it got on Honfroy's norvos. Ho folt alono in tho room and lookod up, and thoro, gray and dim, was tho bandagod hoad and hugo, dark lonsos, staring fixodly, with a mist of groon spots drifting in front of thom. It was so uncanny to Honfroy that for a minuto thoy romainod staring blankly at ono anothor. Thon Honfroy lookod down again. Vory uncomfortablo position! Ono would liko to say somothing. Should